


Taming of the Shelbys

by idkman07



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/M, but also this is fluff and cute, especially finn he is SHOOK, literally shes a huge ball of sass and the shelby boys cant handle it, sassy!reader, someone needs to put them in their place tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-04-26 15:30:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14405064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idkman07/pseuds/idkman07
Summary: literally just read lmao let me know watcha think





	1. Chapter 1

Whatever Marjorie had been expecting from a pub called "The Garrison" located in the center of Shit Heath, Birmingham, this was definitely not it. Everyone was plated in gold, a bit too much for her taste, and definitely clashing with the dirt on the bar-goers' clothes and the raucous noise. Still, it was as close as she was getting to home, so she ordered a pint of whiskey and sat down at the farthest free table, hoping to keep a safe distance from the rest of the men that seemed to be eyeing her.

"It's not proper for ladies like yourself to be wandering 'round a pub this late at night." A voice drawled behind her, distinctively a man's, and she grit her teeth and let out a harsh sigh through her nostrils. Christ, these men would just  _not_ let up. 

"Good thing I'm not a lady then." She retorted, whipping her head to face the man who had spoken to her. She was surprised to find a group of them, all eyeing her with amusement except the obvious youngest, one who seemed around her age and was regarding her with rather wide eyes and an innocent expression. 

"Oi boys, did 'ya hear that? She's not a lady." The older man snickered, and she could already tell where  _this_ was going, so she interrupted him before he could finish. 

"You're the Shelby boys, aren't you? I've heard a lot about you." 

"Oh you have, have you?" The middle one grinned, obviously trying his hardest to be charming, but his grin faltered with the absolute glare she gave him in return. 

"Yeah, people won't shut up about you lot. The perfect men." As soon as she said it, she regretted it, because the sleazy grins on the two older one's faces grew tenfold. The youngest still hadn't said anything or changed his expression- just looking at her, not threateningly, but like he was used to just being in the background. 

"Perfect, eh? I-"

"Perfectly stupid." She snarled, and their billowing laughter caused many heads to turn their way. 

"She's got a mouth on 'er, that one." They chuckled, and she rolled her eyes, already figuring out ways to get out of the conversation. Her gaze turned toward the youngest again, still unmoving, before giving him a bit of a once-over. 

"Why are you hanging out with these two, anyway? Aren't you a bit young?" The other two brothers seemed to get an utter racket out of that one, cackling with so much laughter the table shook. 

"I'm no younger than you!" The boy spoke for the first time, and his voice was gentle- weirdly pretty in a way, as if he came from the countryside instead of a pub in Birmingham. She gave him a look, only to him, and he opened his mouth and closed it again. 

"What's your name?" She asked, harsher than she meant it to sound, but he answered her question immediately. 

"Finn." 

"Finn." She tried, liking the way it sounded in her mouth. "Finn, if I were you, I'd get as far away from these two as soon as I could." And the older two leaned back and _ooo_ ed, but she only watched Finn as he gave her a small smile as she left the pub in a rush. Her face felt hot for the rest of the hour. 


	2. Chapter 2

She ran into this Finn Shelby again in the busy street- and by ran into him, she meant  _literally_ ran into him.

"Shit!" She swore, groaning as her bag of apples fell into the mud, a few rolling out and turning brown. "Why don't you watch where the fuck you're going, you-" She started, her eyes narrowed, but the insult died on her tongue when she saw the face of the younger boy from the pub staring back at her. They stayed there for a second, unmoving, before he broke into a string of apologies and knelt down to pick up the bag. 

"Fuck, I'm really sorry. I wouldn't normally run, just there's a meeting- uh, I have to be getting somewhere and I wasn't looking. I'm really sorry, I'll pay you back for any of the dirty ones, I swear-"

"Finn." She interrupted, trying not to let the grin on her face show. He looked up at her again, a slight blush on his cheeks. She knelt up and picked up one of the apples from the mud so she was eye-level with him. Hazel eyes, she suddenly realized. It fit him. "The only thing worse than your clumsiness is your apologizing. Really, it's fine. I don't mind." He grinned somewhat sheepishly, looking between the mud and the bag in his hand. 

"Here." He said, pushing the bag towards her. "Again, I'm really-" He saw the look on her face and stopped mid-sentence, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassingly. "Er- I got to run. Got this family meeting." 

"What happens in these family meetings?" She teased, angling closer to him. "Do all the Shelby men get together and measure their masculinity by how big their cocks are?" 

"What?" He sputtered, standing up, his face beet-red now. "N-no. We don't. Why would you-" He chuckled for a second, shaking his head at her, "No."

"Sorry." She shrugged, purposely teasing him now as she stood up. "It's just, you Shelby boys are so unpredictable. It's like a different species." 

"Oh yeah?" He grinned again, starting to sound like his brothers. "How's that?" 

"Well for one," She pretended to count off on her fingers, "You're all rubbish at talking to girls." 

"What?" He choked out for the second time. "That's-that's rubbish, that is. You're rubbish. Wait- you're not rubbish, what you're saying is rubbish." 

"And my point stands." She announced, grinning mischievously at the dumbfounded look on his face. "What about if I give you a chance to prove it?" 

"How's that?" He answered back immediately, a bemused look on his face. 

"Take me out." Finn's eyes bulged from his head like she'd just ask him to dance like a chicken right in front of the whole town. 

"I-what was that?" 

"If you're so good with girls, then take me out. Show me. If I'm right, then I get to go to one of these meetings. If I'm wrong, then-" She thought for a second before an evil grin grew on her face. "Then you have to kiss me." Finn stood there staring at her for a second, seemingly trying to make sense of what she'd just said. 

"Who says I want to kiss you?" He finally got out. She sighed dramatically, grabbing her long-forgotten bag off the ground before turning away slowly. 

"Well, that's alright with me. Guess you'll always be a disgrace to the family name-" 

"Wait." When she turned back, he was gritting his teeth, which only made her grin grow. "I'm not shit with girls." 

"Is that a yes?" She pressed, moving closer to him. He stared at her for a second, tongue coming out to wet his lips. 

"Yes. Alright. Good." He said after a minute, blinking like he'd just waken up from a trance. 

"Spectacular." She grinned, before turning around and practically skipping home. If there was anything she loved, it was taking the piss out of boys like Finn Shelby. "See you tomorrow at 8 o'clock!" 

"Wait, what your name?" He yelled back. 

"Marjorie!" She answered without stopping, not looking back as she turned the corner. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

True to his word, he appeared at her door at eight o'clock sharp, a deep scowl on his face. 

"You found it!" She exclaimed, pointing to the number on the door. 

"No thanks to your weird fucking note." He muttered, reaching into his pocket and fishing out the paper she'd passed under his front door the day earlier. "My brothers thought it was a threat or something. When they saw that it was your address they took the piss out of me for the rest of the day." 

"You've kept the note, have you?" She prodded him, a grin rapidly growing on her face. "D'you sleep with it under your pillow? Dream sweet dreams of me?" 

"Oh, fuck off." He growled, though his scowl had lessened and his eyes seemed a bit lighter. She snorted, staring at her shoes, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. 

"Well?" She broke the silence, looking up at him. 

"What?" His eyes narrowed, brow furrowing in confusion. 

"Aren't you going to tell me I look nice?" 

"Oh." He stuttered, cheeks rapidly turning a ruddy pink color. His eyes quickly swept over her, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Yeah. Right. You look- fine. Or whatever." 

"Is it causing you physical pain to say that? You're worse at this than I thought." She teased, a small smile on her face. She couldn't help feeling a little shitty, though. She knew she wasn't a model or anything, but it couldn't be that hard to say she looked decent. She had enough dignity to admit he looked nice. His long coat matched his eyes nicely. She was mature enough to say that. 

"I'm not- you look good, alright? Can we go now?" He threw his arms up in exasperation, cheeks practically scarlet. A weird warmth started in her chest and spread down to her toes. 

"Alright alright, keep your pants on. So where are we going?" She asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. If anyone walked by and saw them, they'd probably look like two kids hopelessly infatuated with each other. It was almost laughable how far from the truth that was. 

"I- thought you planned something?" He ended it like a question, a bit of a hopeless look on his face. She almost felt bad for him. 

"You're lucky I came prepared." She grinned, reaching into her house and grabbing a woven picnic basket. She was out the door and pulling him along by his coat before he could protest. 

Apparently when his brothers had heard about his supposed date, they had promised to give the lady the very best and had lent Finn the family car. She was actually grateful they could get out of the smoky streets, ordering him to drive until they were almost an hour out of town and the land was green and clear. 

"Are we planning on stopping anytime soon?" He asked after a while, fingers tapping rapidly against the wheel. 

"Anywhere 'round here's good." She nodded, beginning to whistle a tune. 

"What's 'round here besides cow shit?" He snorted at his brilliant witticism, shifting in his seat. "Fuck, I need a smoke." 

"A break from that shithole you call home, is what's round here." She answered, snatching the cigarettes out of his pockets he was trying to grab. He made a sound of protest, reaching towards her before accidentally swerving into the other lane. 

"Shit." He swore, grabbing the wheel and turning the car back. "What's wrong with Small Heath? I like it fine." 

"That's just 'cause you haven't been anywhere else." She told him, covering the match with her hand to light the cigarette. "You don't even know what else is out there. London. America, for Christ's sake. I'd give my left tit to go there." 

"I'll take you there someday." He said, and she knew he was joking and just trying to get good date points, but her heart jumped just the same. 

They eventually settled in a clearing "free of cow shit" Finn promised once he'd done a full inspection. The grass was long and tickled her bare legs, blowing in the breeze. Finn was munching loudly on a bit of bread she'd brought, staring up at the clouds. 

"You're awfully quiet." His head snapped to her, swallowing his food. 

"It's 'cause I'm eating." 

"No, not just now." She shook her head, studying him. "You're quiet all the time. I think it's because your brothers are loud, annoying bastards." He snorted, plopping the rest of his bread into his mouth. 

"They're not that bad." He told her, almost on instinct. She had a feeling she couldn't even imagine how close his family really is. 

"Tell me about them." He looked at her for a second, as if seeing if she was joking or not. When the small smile on her face didn't change, he cleared his throat. 

"Right, so there's Arthur. He's the oldest, but doesn't really act like it. Tommy's the one in charge. Always has been. Oh, there's Ada too, but I hardly see her anymore. Er- then there's John. He fucking does me in sometimes." He chuckled, his stare far-away, as if he was somewhere else. "When I was ten or eleven, I stuck his smokes to the top of his hat. He was going mental looking for them all day. He was so pissed off when he found out." He grinned wistfully, looking startled when he looked at her again, as if he forgot she was there. "Er- what about you? What's your family like?" A sudden coldness settled over her skin, creating goosebumps in the hot summer afternoon. She shrugged. 

"Shit." Was all she said, and Finn seemed like he got it in a way most people didn't. He lit a cigarette, taking a long inhale before passing his to her. It felt strangely intimate, smoking from something she knew his lips had been on. Her cheeks started to heat up without her consent. 

"Y'know, you're not that bad." She snorted in surprise, chucking the cigarette back at him. He let out a shout of pain as the burning part grazed the palm of his hand. 

"Wow, thanks Finn. That's a real compliment, coming from you." 

"No, I just meant-" He grinned, looking at her with a new look on his face. "I mean you were kind've- you're just not like any girl I've met before. That's all." 

"I doubt you know many girls then." She muttered, sipping the tea she'd brought (lmao). Finn let out a dramatic gasp, poking her with his shoe. 

"I fucking do." He jeered, but there was no venom in it. She could feel his eyes still on her when she looked away. 

"So are you gonna put the moves on me?" She asked. Finn choked on the inhale, his cigarette almost dropping out of his hand. 

"Er- what?" He got out, patting himself on the chest. 

"Y'know," She waved her hand around vaguely, "Whatever you lot do on dates. I'm supposed to be judging you, remember? Just how bad you really are with girls?" 

"Oh. Right." He snuffed out his cigarette, fixing his coat. She smirked, crossing her arms and watching him with interest. His expression suddenly changed into one of surprised innocence, looking up at her. "Are you cold? Here." He answered before she could get out to "no", moving closer so his clothed thigh brushed hers. He removed the coat she'd been admiring and placed it on her shoulders, his breath warming her neck. "Better?" His voice was rough in her ear. Her skin tingled like she was a young schoolgirl. She didn't  _do_ this. She didn't go all soft over boys like Finn Shelby. 

"Nice one." She whispered. He was looking deep at her, teeth biting his chapped bottom lip. "But a bit unoriginal. I'd give it a four out of ten, at most." 

"What the fuck!" He exclaimed, a shout mixing into a laugh. He launched away from her, reaching for his cigarettes. "I was robbed, I was." His coat still laid on her shoulders, warming deep into her skin. 

It started to rain not long after, coming down in large droplets that splattered against the ground in thumps. They exclaimed and gathered the basket, using his coat as a cover. The sky was dark and stormy, but Finn was laughing, shaking his head and scattering water everywhere. He drove quickly, too quickly, the wheels skidding down the road. Small Heath's streets were abandoned besides a stray kid running home, the fires of the coal factories sizzling out. 

"We're here." He shouted over the rain, skidding to a stop outside her house. She laughed as she caught her breath, kneeling down and gripping her knees. 

"Well, thanks." She yelled back, wiping her face from the rain. He was staring at her again, a hint of a smile on his face. "That wasn't the worst date I've ever-" And suddenly, he was kissing her, wrapping his hands in her soaking hair and trailing a thumb across her cheek. The frost that had settled into her from the rain faded as rapidly as it had arrived. She had just begun to kiss him back when he pulled away, running a hand through his own sopping hair. 

"You lost." He told her, taking off down the street. His coat still hung on her shoulders, heavy in the rain as she stood there watching him, dumbfounded. 

                                                                                        


	4. Chapter 4

Her mum died a week after. 

It wasn't that she hadn't seen it coming, it was just the time it happened. Like she was happy, happier than she'd been for a long time, and it's as if her mother sensed that and picked that time to jump from the window. Just to fuck up her life again. 

Even though her mother had stopped talking in the last few years, the house felt quiet and empty with only Marjorie in it- the shadows seemed larger and the silence was almost suffocating. The knock on the door startled her so much she jumped up from her chair, the newspaper falling to the ground in a heap of pages. 

"Shit." She swore, making a grab for it, but the knocking only grew more insistent. She let out a harsh sigh and stomped towards the door, throwing it open with a bang. "What do you want?" She snapped, looking up. Finn Shelby was staring back at her, eyes wide with a hint of amusement. 

"Christ, what'd they put in your tea today?" He mused, leaning against the door frame. She let out a sigh of relief, shoulders sagging with a new-found exhaustion. "Alriight." He dragged out once she didn't answer. "I'm just here for my coat. And to make sure the date was more than satisfactory." It was such a ordinary request, said in such a Finn way, that she couldn't help letting out a chuckle. She kept chuckling until she felt the first tear edge its way down her cheek, and then she was sobbing, falling into Finn's surprised arms. "Oh God, what'd I say now?" He panicked, wrapping his arms around her and circling her into his chest. Her cheek pressed against the warm cloth of his shirt, listening to the steady beat of his heart. "I don't really want that coat, y'know, I have a million of them- I just needed an excuse to come and talk to you, really-" 

"My bloody mum died." She got out, rubbing her running nose on his shirt. If he cared, though, he didn't say anything. He just went quiet, let out a little "oh" sound, and held her tighter. 

By the time her sobs had dissolved into sniffles, Finn had made her a cup of tea and started a fire in the living room. He was poking the logs every so often now, looking back at her every few seconds with a concerned look on his face. She was holding the hot tea in her hands close to her face, snuggled into a blanket he had found tucked away. She felt more like a kid than she had in years. 

"My mum's dead too, y'know." Her eyes flicked up to him, but his gaze was still on the crackling fire. "My dad might as well be. I don't remember him at all. Arthur used to tell me all kinds of stories about him." He shrugged, poking a log harder than he had before. "I don't really see the need in parents if they're not gonna love you, y'know?" She didn't know what to say to that, so she scooted over on the couch, patting the seat. He let out a chuckle, taking off his coat and sitting down with a sigh. 

"I think this is the most quiet you've ever been." He said after a minute or so, and she laughed so suddenly she almost dropped her tea. "I don't like it. It makes me feel like I have to do the talking." 

"I like when you talk." Her voice sounded older and cracked after crying. He turned to look at her, eyes soft. No one had ever looked at her like that before. "You have interesting things to say, Finn. You should talk more." He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His stare turned more intense, searching. She sighed, feeling as if she owed him an explanation. "My brother died in the War. He was my best friend. I think a part of my mum broke when we heard the news. My dad had left not long before." She traced the stitching on the couch, a new bout of tears threatening to reach the surface. "She stopped talking. Not just to me. To everyone. She was hardly there when she died." A warm hand encircled hers, intertwining his fingers through her thinner ones. She let out a shaky breath, focusing on the feeling of his thumb tracing along her palm. "I'm sorry I made your shirt look like a tissue." He laughed, a welcoming sound in the dark silence that was usually her house. 

"It's not that bad." He assured her, before looking down at his shirt. "Oh, fuck. I take it back. That is disgusting." She began to laugh too, swatting him playfully, until they were both laughing so hard they couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop looking at her. She knew she didn't look her best now, with swollen eyes and red cheeks, but he didn't need to rub it in. 

"You can stop staring, alright? I'm aware I look like utter shit." She chuckled, wiping the drying tears off her face. What she didn't expect, though, was the way he shook his head so adamantly, as if it was just an instinctual reaction. 

"You don't look like utter shit." His voice sounded small, a blush beginning to bloom on his freckled cheeks. "You don't look like shit at all, I mean. You never do." She grinned, feeling lighter than she had in years. 

"There's that famous Shelby smoothness. Do girls always swoon when you say that?" He scoffed, a beginning of a smile teasing his lips. 

"I can't really remember any other girls, if I'm being honest." She pretended to gasp and fan her face, mostly just to hide her own red cheeks. Her face felt tingly, like it had when he'd put the coat on her. 

"Oh my, how dreamy! What a line. It's taking everything in me not to snog you senseless right now!" She wailed in a high-pitched voice, falling onto the couch.

"Oi, shut up." He shoved her gently with a grin, face scarlet. "I fuckin' hate you, you know." 

"No you don't." It came out immediately, before she had really thought about it. His mouth slammed shut, looking at her deeply. 

"What's this?" He asked, noticing the newspaper, and she could breath again. 

"Oh." Everything she'd been doing before he came suddenly hit her again like a ton of bricks. "Trying to find a job." She told him the truth, reaching down to gather the pages. He immediately joined her, shuffling them into the right order. "My mum had been working before she- and I dunno how I'm gonna keep the house-" 

"I'll get you a job." Her head snapped to him, eyes wide. 

"Are you joking?" He looked earnest enough, but she could hardly believe it. 

"Nah, I'm sure Tommy'll have something for you to do. He's always hiring new people. I'll set you up a meeting with him." She was so utterly grateful she flung her arms around him without a second thought, burying her face into the crook of his neck. 

"Thank you, Finn." She breathed. "Seriously. For everything." 

"It's no problem." His voice rumbled against her, sending goosebumps up and down her bare skin. She backed away enough that their noses almost brushed. Blood pounded in her ears as he stared at her, swallowing loudly before his eyes glanced down at her lips. "Er-" He said. One movement. One barely-there movement, and they'd be kissing. It scared her how much her body ached for it. "I- better go." He got up quickly she felt the air turn colder when he had been. "Got family meetings, and er, all that." He picked up his coat, throwing it on in a hurry. He was hardly looking at her. "Don't mind about my other coat. I'll- I'll let you know when the meeting is." She barely nodded, staring at her hands, red-hot embarrassment coursing through her veins. She had thought maybe, there was a small chance- and here she was, feeling so stupid, because this was the first time she let herself feel something and look where it had gotten her- "Marjorie?" She looked up at him by the door. He was looking at her now, a small, sincere smile on his face. "I'll see you soon." She nodded, feeling herself smiling back. 

"See you soon." The door closed behind him, shutting out the cold as well as bringing it back in. She buried her face in her hands. She was so fucked. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much to everyone who left a comment :) I'd kind of ran out of inspiration for a while but decided to continue so tell me if you're interested in hearing more lol I'm kind of just writing it on the spot so not sure what will come from here but yeah these two are cute im sorry


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